Remember
Sophia Haque the pop star turned [V] veejay, whose songs, Kamasutra
and One Night In My Life zoomed up the western charts in the
early 90s? Yes we all do.

Now meet Reenie Bhammer,
who is traversing the opposite path — a veejay turning into a pop
star.

The stunning hostess of
the Bollywood game show Saturday Live in the New York-based
channel ITV, Reenie is all set to make her singing debut with Rahey.

"It’s a Hindi pop
fusion album composed by Mahmood Khan. The strong point is the music and
imaginative lyrics," says Rennie, a trained Indian classical
musician.

If the album is a hit, she
says then she won’t mind shifting base to India. "I want to make
a mark in music and would love to do film shows on Indian
channels," says Reenie.

Reenie is a self-confessed
Bollywood buff and says that hosting a Hindi movie show on ITV was a
dream come true. She’s interviewed most of the top Bollywood stars but
guess who’s the one who completely bowled her over — Punjab da
Puttar Sunny Deol!

Newsmaker Monita

Monita…making news

When
she appeared on the screen for the first time she grabbed instant
attention with her looks and quick wit. Three years down the line Monita
Rajpal is CNN’s star anchor. "It’s been a very eventful time
with the CNN," says Monita who is in India to announce the second
Young Journalist Award 2004.

Monita, whose channel
pioneered round-the-clock news broadcasting way back in 1980, is
enthused with the proliferation of news in India. "Many of the
news-based shows are at par with global channels," says the anchor.

If the Indian channels are
so good does she not fear competition? No, she says. "CNN’s
strength is international news and issues and that sets us apart."

All for a laugh

Rakesh Paul

He’s
back to doing what he does best — making people laugh. Rakesh Paul can’t
hide his emotions when he is complimented — which is a lot these days
— for his role in Main Office Tere Aangan Ki a sitcom aired on
Sahara.

And that’s not all. Paul
has another reason to celebrate. He is looking forward to yet another
comedy — Anant Mahadevan’s Kabhi Hero Kabhi Zero — that
will be aired on the new kiddie channel Hungama.

"For me comedy is
very serious business and I work very hard to make people laugh,"
says Paul who plays the forgetful adman Gogo in Main Office Tere
Aangan Ki.

"It’s a hilarious
role. Gogo’s forgetfulness lands him in all kinds of funny
situations," says Paul.

Stage-struck Jha

Jha with Jaya Bhattacharya…Play acting

You
can take an artiste out of the theatre but not the theatre out of an
artiste. Don’t believe it? Ask Muni Jha the JDof Kyunki
Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. After giving memorable performances in many
serials his heart still beats for the stage.

Even as his Gujarati
play Havey To Lila Laher Chhe is still going strong, Muni has
come up with another hit play Sabse Bada Rupaiya featuring the Kyunki
Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi team. "It’s a great comedy and I
decided to do it with the Kyunki cast," says Muni.

So is it going to be more
theatre and less TV? No, says Muni. "I am balancing them. I am
doing a comedy serial Chup and am also planning a new play."
— NF